Although volatile products such as room deodorants and insecticides are often dispensed in sudden large quantities to remedy significant problems, it is also desirable to provide for continuous dispensing of such products at a low rate to provide a low residual level of product in the ambient atmosphere to prevent such problems from arising. One means of providing continuous dispensing of such products is to impregnate the product into an absorbent pad disposed within a container which may be opened a selected amount to allow a low rate of volatilization of the product to ambient atmosphere. Such containers are designed to be unobtrusively stuck, hung or otherwise attached to a hidden surface or fixture so that they are not normally observable by persons nearby. It is therefore desirable that such containers include means for attaching or affixing them to secreted surfaces which are not otherwise prepared for receiving such containers.
Such containers should also allow for controlled opening thereof for carefully regulated rates of volatilization of the product which is great enough to ensure effectiveness, but low enough to maximize the life of the unit.
In addition, it is desirable that such containers achieve an effective seal to ensure that it will exhibit extended shelf life and home storage life prior to use without significant loss of the volatile product.
Prior art devices have included adhesive surfaces and apertured tags for affixing the containers to hidden surfaces. However, they have comprised cooperating members joined at their peripheral edges to form a sealed closure, and separable to expose apertured side walls for flow of air to the volatile product contained within. The operational side walls occlude and interface with the flow of air into the interior of the container.
The cooperating members are joined at their periphery adjacent sealing lips which are easily misaligned. Such construction requires close tolerances of the coupling portions of the container to insure alignment of the seal members, since there is no means provided for self adjustment of the planar alignment of the seal elements. Furthermore, there is no means provided for compressing the sealing elements together to enhance sealing.
Such containers may also be easily, and sometimes inadvertently, fully opened by complete separation of their respective members, exposing the manipulator to direct contact with the volatile product contained within the container. This is a particular hazard when such containers are disposed under furniture or on other low surfaces where they can be easily reached by children.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing container for volatile products which includes means for closely controlling the degree of opening of the container to an extent chosen to ensure effectiveness while maximizing product life.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a dispensing container that will provide assured sealing of the container whenever it is closed, through self-aligning of the sealing members of the container when the container is closed.
A further object of this invention is to provide such a container that will afford unimpeded flow of air into the interior of the container.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a dispensing container for a volatile product which includes a torque advantage enabling the user to manually exert compressive forces on the sealing elements of the container.
A further object of the invention is to provide a container which cannot be opened beyond a preselected maximum limit which ensures that no direct contact with the volatile product contained within the container is possible.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dispensing container for a volatile product which will be small, and inexpensive to manufacture, but ensure complete volatilization and dispensing of the product from within the container by allowing circulation of air over all surfaces of an impregnated pad within the container.